Tulsans become increasingly concerned as ICE activity ramps up across the state.
Tensions are on the rise between citizens and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the country. Since the murders of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti at the hands of ICE officers in Minneapolis earlier this year, there has been nationwide attention and skepticism regarding widespread ICE operations that have been ordered by the Trump administration.
Tulsa, Oklahoma is no exception with anxieties ramping up locally.
Immigration officials have been particularly emboldened since the passing of Oklahoma House Bill 4156 in April of 2024 which created a state crime of “impermissible occupation” that criminalizes being in the state without legal immigration status. Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, however, has been a forthright critic of House Bill 4156 since his time in the state legislature. As Mayor-Elect, he promised that the Tulsa Police Department would not be folding under state pressure to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to deport non-criminals.
“Tulsa has been one of the safest places to be as an immigrant,” said Lorena Rivas, a local immigration attorney. “Yet, the presence of federal officers around Tulsa has been steadily increasing in recent months, leaving residents uneasy. Now, almost every day we get phone calls from clients, potential clients, and just Tulsans concerned with what is going on in this country, what they are seeing on the news, on social media.”
However, it’s not just the national news that the community is worried about. ICE has reportedly gotten much closer to home with eyewitness accounts of traffic stops being conducted on busy streets like 21st and Harvard and near Utica Square. Additionally, at least one family was forcibly separated in Midtown after ICE agents detained a mother of four on her way to work in September.
Hundreds of immigrants are currently being held at the Tulsa County jail, and the numbers are only going up. According to the Deportation Data Project, the number of detentions in Oklahoma in 2025, nearly doubled the number of detentions from 2023 and 2024 combined. Most of the individuals detained — approximately 80% — have no criminal record or any prior convictions. Now, many community members are starting to wonder if Tulsa is still the safe haven sanctuary city that it once proudly labeled itself.
On Sunday, Jan. 25 Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, shocked the public by outwardly condemning the dangerous actions being taken by ICE agents. This comes in contradiction to the fact that Stitt had previously announced Operation Guardian, a state effort to assist in the administration’s immigration crackdown, shortly after Trump’s reelection. Prior to the death of Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti, Stitt had not explicitly questioned the Trump administration’s border security policies.
“Nobody likes feds coming into their state,” Stitt now asserts. “What’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-US citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want … We need real solutions on immigration reform.” Stitt’s comments also seemed to legitimize many Oklahomans’ anxieties about ICE agents in their communities and state.
Unknown individuals used TU’s snow days to protest ICE’s presence in Tulsa. Photo by Magnolia Garbarino
The Collegian granted an international TU student anonymity to allow them to speak freely about their immigration status and they admitted that over winter break they, like many others, had considered not returning to the U.S. out of fear of being detained or deported. “We keep our papers and passports in our backpacks now, just in case,” they stated. “I’m too scared to display my country’s flag on my bag anymore. Even universities feel unsafe.”
This, too, seems to be a warranted concern as across the country ICE has gained a presence on numerous college campuses and students across the country are staying in their dorms, fearful of what could await them on their way to class.
“The best way to support your international friends and those targeted by ICE is to accompany them during outings, signal to others if you spot agents nearby and continue speaking out against the violence occurring,” the student urged.
Despite brewing anxieties, troubling times are bringing many local communities together. Mayor Nichols has outwardly stated that Tulsa’s focus should remain prioritizing public safety for every resident, regardless of immigration status and the Cherokee Nation has informed its citizens to stay aware of the potential presence of ICE in the area. Various watch groups have also begun forming within Tulsa with community members, using social media to track ICE presence in real time. Moreover, just last Tuesday, Jan. 27 the Tulsa community held a vigil honoring victims Alex Pretti and Renee Goode.
With Tulsa being home to roughly 45,000 immigrants and making up around 11% of the city’s population, the community seems dedicated to not only keeping federal agents out, but also protecting their fellow neighbors and classmates regardless of citizenship status.
